The Journey (Abdullah Ibrahim album)

1978 studio album by Abdullah Ibrahim

The Journey

Studio album by

Abdullah Ibrahim

Released| 1978
Recorded| September 18, 1977
Studio| Downtown Sound, NYC
Genre| Jazz
Length| 43:43
Label| Chiaroscuro
Producer| Hank O'Neal
Abdullah Ibrahim chronology
| Buddy Tate Meets Dollar Brand
(1977)  | The Journey
(1978)  | Streams of Consciousness
(1978)

|
|

The Journey is a long-form instrumental jazz album composed and led by South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (also known as "Dollar Brand") after his move to New York City. This studio recording was made the day after the 17 September 1977 Alice Tully Hall concert pictured on the cover and included other veterans of Ibrahim's group Universal Silence: Don Cherry, Johnny Dyani, and Carlos Ward.[1][2][3]

## Release and reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [5]

Ibrahim had released Cape Town Fringe earlier in the year, and while that album's African folk roots remain, the addition of many leading-edge New York jazzmen made The Journey a much more avant-garde affair.[6] The short "Sister Rose" begins things, a "sprightly calypso" suffused with the sound of Ibrahim's native Cape Town.[7] Two lengthy improvisations follow—the first, "Jabulani", features an energetic rhythm section, soaring trumpet work, and atonal group playing. The 22-minute closer "Hajj (The Journey)" is a Middle Eastern–flavored work centered around a hypnotic piano riff, originally from "Eighty-First Street" on Ibrahim's 1968 album Hamba Khale! (with Gato Barbieri).[4][8]

## Track listing

[edit]

All tracks written by Abdullah Ibrahim.

1. "Sister Rosie" – 4:33
2. "Jabulani (Joy)" – 17:38
3. "Hajj (The Journey)" – 21:56

## Personnel

[edit]

* Abdullah Ibrahim – piano, soprano saxophone
* Hamiet Bluiett – baritone saxophone, clarinet
* Don Cherry – trumpet
* Talib Rhynie – alto saxophone, oboe
* Carlos Ward – alto saxophone
* Johnny Akhir Dyani – bass
* Claude Jones – conga drums
* John Betsch – percussion
* Roy Brooks – percussion

## References

[edit]

1. ^ McGregor, Tony. "Top 10 Albums of the South African Jazz Diaspora". Spinditty. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
2. ^ Muller, Carol Ann (2014). "Musical Remembrance, Exile, and the Remaking of South African Jazz (1960–1979)". In Bithell, Caroline; Hill, Juniper (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Music Revival. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199765034. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
3. ^ "Events Today". The New York Times. 17 September 1977. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
4. ^ a b Dryden, Ken. "Abdullah Ibrahim - The Journey". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
5. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 743\. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
6. ^ Hopkins, Michael F. (October 1978). "Dollar Brand - The Journey - Chiaroscuro CR 187". Buffalo Jazz Report. No. 56\. p. 19. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
7. ^ "New Directions for Chiaroscuro". Jazz Magazine. Vol. 3, no. 1\. Fall 1978.
8. ^ "Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim) - The Journey". Sounds of the Universe. Retrieved 15 June 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Abdullah Ibrahim

Studio albums|

* Banyana – Children of Africa (1976)
* Autobiography (1978)
* African Dawn (1982)
* Mannenberg (1983)
* Water from an Ancient Well (1985)
* Mindif (1988)
* Blues for a Hip King (1989)
* African River (1989)

Live albums|

* Yarona (1995)

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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